Open-hearth steel-melting furnace



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C. M. RYDER.

OPEN HEARTH STEEL MELTING FURNACE.

No. 287,864. v Patented Nov. 6,1883.

. WITNESSES (No Model.) I r 4 Sheets-Sheet 2. O; RYDER.

. OPEN HBARTH STEEL MBLTING FURNACE.

No. 287.864. Patented Nov. 6, 1883;

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(No Model.) 4 SheetsSheet 3. 0. M. RYDER.

OPEN HEARTH STEEL MELTING FURNACE. No. 287.864. Patented Nov. 6, 1883.

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(No Mode1 4Sheets -Sheet 4. G. M. RYDER. OPENHEARTH STEEL ME LTING FURNACE. No. 287.864.

Patented Nov. 6, 1883.

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UNITED STATES PATENT QE IG CHARLES M. RYDER, or CHESTER, PENNSYLVANIA.

OPEN -H EARTH STEEL-MELTING FURNACE.

SPECIFICATION formingpart of Letters Patent No. 28'7,864=, dated November 6, 1883.

- Application filed May 1,1883. (N0 model.)

To all whom it may concern;

Be it known that I, OHARLEs M. RYDER, of Chester, in the county of Delaware and State of Pennsylvania, have invented .certain new and useful Improvements in Open- Hearth Steel-Melting Furnaces'and Casting Attachments therefor; and I do hereby-declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the invention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same. f Y My invention relates to an improvement in open-hearth steel-nfelting furnaces and casting attachments therefor, the object beingto adapt this class of furnaces tov general foundry use, and to simplify all, operations of casting small articles of structural steel by an arrangement whereby the metal of .the bath may be withdrawn from the furnace fractionally and inthe quantities desired.

A further object of theinvention is to provide means for removing the hearths of this class of furnaces not only for the purpose of facilitating all operations of repairing them as well as the furnace structure, but also for charging them with masses of metal and imperfect castings' too large to be introduced through the charging-door of the furnace itself. 1

A further obj eet of my invention is to provide the furnace with a skimmer arranged and adapted to prevent the slag from being draw off simultaneously with the metal. a

. With these objects'in view, my invention consists in certain details of construction and combinations of parts as will be hereinafter described, and pointed out in the claims.

In the accompanying drawings, Figure 1 is a view in vertical section of. a furnace embodying my invention and providedwith my improved attachments. Fig. 2 is a similar view, the hearth being shown in its closed position. Fig. 3 is aview of the furnace in front elevation, and Fig. 4: is a view showing a modified arrangement for removing and replacing the hearth.

The arched roof A, the front wall, and

, the rear wall, 0, of the furnace are suspended from girders D, the ends of which are support ed by the usual structures, E, embodyingthe flues arrangedtoconvey air and gas blasts to. the furnace. This suspension of theroof and walls from the girders is effected by means of hangers F, embracing the walls, the lower endsof the said hangers being attached to platesG, located under the walls, while their upper ends are secured to the girders aforesaid by means.

- The hearth is preferably composed ofa me- J tallic shell, I, having alining, J, of refractory material .of suitable character. The shell is provided with a spout, K, with depending bearings L and M, and with a shelf or flange, N, the latter being designed to support the fore plate, 0, constituting the sill of the oharg ing-door-of the furnace. .Wheels 1?, journaled in the depending bearings L, are arranged to register with andtravel upon inclined trackways Q, mounted upon the supporting stru'cture or bed B. These trackways shouldextend sufficiently beyond the front line of the casting side of the furnace to permit that displacement of the hearth required for all operationsof repairing and charging. The bearing's M are designed to be secured by pins S to standards T, located upon the highest part of the structure R aforesaid. \The union of these parts forms a fulcrum-bearing for the hearth by supporting the charging side thereof andpermitting its casting side tovbe raised or lowered, as desired. These means for fulcruming one side of the furnace may, however, be dispensed with and any equivalent bearing-as one of the knife-edge typeen1- ployed. While conversion is going on, the

casting side of the hearth is supported in its raised or closed position by means of a plunger, U, playing in a cylinder, V, in which hydrostatic pressure is developed by theusual means employed for that purpose. After conversion and during the operation of casting, the said side of the hearth is raised and lowered, as need be, for withdrawing the metal fractionally and in the desired quantities by elevating and depressing the plunger by varying the pressure in the cylinder V aforesaid.

:For the purpose of skimming the metal as it is drawn off, and for retaining the slag and kind ed impurities in the hearth, a skimmer,

W,i employed lt fisfgifinted in bearings.

X, located on opposite sides of the spout K, and consists of a slab of fire-brick or other refractory material conforming to the contour of the spout, and having its lower edge out 5 away for the escape of the metal. As neither metal, slag, nor impurity can escape above the level of the aperture in the skimmer, the metal, being of higher specific gravity, and consequently floating the slag, may be drawn off without being mingled to any extent therewith. As a matter of 1act,alittleslag escapes with the metal; but it floatsin the ladle Y and 1s easily disposed of. \Vhen the body of the metal has been exhausted, the slag remaining r 5 111 the hearth is withdrawn by depressing the same and removing the skimmer.

' A metallic shield, Z, suspended in front of the casting side of the furnace and adapted to be vertically adjusted, is designed to protect the foundry-men from the intense and blind 1ng heat thrown out by the furnace when the hearth is depressed. As herein shown, the shield is suspended bya rod, A, from a lever, B, provided with a counterweight, G, the

2 5 the latter being arrangedto balance the shield, so that it may be readily raised and lowered with the hearth. It is obvious that other devices of equal efiiciency may employed for handling the shield.

The ladleY is mounted in a fork-shaped bearing, D, secured to the under face of the casting side of the hearth. A bail, E, arranged to be se-' cured to the ladle in the usual manner, adapts it to be lifted from its bearings by the crane F,-for

5 the purpose of conveying it to molds distributed over the foundry-floor, and for returnmg 1ts contents to the metal in the hearth when such a course is desirable. The ladle is further provided with the ordinary stopper,

0 G, fitting into the pouring hole H, from which the metal issues into the spout I, the same being swiveled upon a column, J, as shown. A turn-table, K, elevated abovethe floor of the casting-pit on pillars L, supports the molds M, the table being rotated by any suitable means to bring the molds within range of the spout. As fast as the molds are filled, they are replaced by others, the operatlon of pouring and handling thefilled and unfilled molds being conducted simultaneously. In case it is desired to pour very large castmgs, the ladle-spout and turn-table are removed, the metal being conveyed directly from the furnace to molds located in the cast- 5 5 ing-pit by means of suitable conduits or spouts. The hearth is operated on the traekways Q by means of a chain, N, connecting it with the plunger I of the cylinder Q, which is located beneath the charging-floor of the furnace, and provided with the usual means for developing hydrostatic pressure. Vhen it is desired to displace the hearth for any of the purposes mentioned, the plunger U is depressed to allow the hearth to descend and the wheels P to engage with the trackways aforesaid. This done, the pins S, uniting the bearings M and standards T, are removed, leaving the hearth free to run down the said trackways as the pressure in the cylinder is gradually decreased. WVhen thus displaced, the hearth may be relieved or otherwise repaired, or charged with masses of metal and imperfect castings too large to be introduced through the charging-door of the furnace-structure, and, although of desirable quality, but little used on account of the diificulty of breaking them up. This displacement of the hearth also accelerates the cooling of the furnace and renders it readily accessible for repairs. When the object prompting the displacement of the hearth has been accomplished, it is drawn up the inclined trackway by increasing the pressure in the cylinder Q. When in position under the furnace-structure, the bearings M and standards T are reunited by the pins S, and the casting side of the hearth raised to place by the plunger U. As the hearth is drawn up under the furnace on an incline, masses of metal or large castings will not engage with the front wall, B, of the fumace-structure and injure it.

Instead of handling the hearth by the plungers shown and described, a hydraulic crane, It, and connections S, arranged as shown in Fig. 40f the drawings, may be employed. In such case two removable columns T are used to support the casting side of hearth during conversion.

If desired, arrangements may be made for conducting the operations of charging and casting on the same side of the hearth, either side being capable of being so used. Instead, also, of employing the power of water under pressure to elevate and depress the hearth, the same may be counterweighted and operated by a slight expenditure of power applied in any desired manner. I would therefore hax e it understood that I do not limit myself to the exact construction shown and described, but hold myself at liberty to make such changes and alterations as fairly fall within the spirit and scope of my invention.

I am aware that it is old to suspend the hearth of a glass-furnace by chains running over pulleys attachedto the furnace-structure, wherebythe hearth is adapted to be lowered in a vertical line from the furnace, and to be tilted for the purpose of pouring out its contents. I do not, therefore, broadly claim a furnace provided with a hearth adapted to be removed and tilted, but only a specific construction for accomplishing these results.

Having fully described my invention, what I claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is-

1. In an open-hearth steel-melting furnace, the combination, with a structure forming the side walls and top thereof, and ahearth located under said structure, of fixed bearings adapted to have one side of the hearth detachably fulcrumed to them, and means to raise and lower the unsupported side of the hearth, substantially as set forth.

2. In an open-hearth steel-melting furnace,

adapted to have one side of the hearth dc tachably fulcrumed to them, and the described hydraulic piston impinging on the under face ,of the unsupported side of thehearth, and arranged to raise and lower the same, substantially as set forth.

3. In an open-hearth steel-melting furnace, the combination, with a structure forming the side walls and top thereof, and a hearth located under said structure, of fixed bearings arranged to have one side of the hearth detachably fulcrumed to them, an inclined trackway located under the furnace, and extending beyond the casting side thereof, and means to lower the hearth upon and to elevate it above the trackway, and to operate it thereon, sub-' 'stantially as set forth. v 4. In an open-hearth steel-melting furnace,

. the combination, withthe side walls and top thereof, of a hearth having one side supported and the other free to be raised and lowered,

'means to operate the unsupported side of the hearth, and a ladle mounted on bearings attached to the hearth, substantially as set forth.

5. The combination, with an open-hearth steel-melting furnace provided with a hearth having one side supported'and the other free to be raised and lowered, of means to operate the unsupported side of the hearth, a forkshaped bearing attached thereto, and a ladle removably mounted in said bearing, substantially as set forth; r

6. In an open-hearth steel-melting furnace, the combination, with a structure forming the side walls and top thereof, and a hearth located under the said structure, and having oneside fulcrumed in fixed bearings, of means for rais ing and lowering the unsupported side of the I hearth, a ladle to receive the metal running from the hearth when lowered, and means to lift the said ladle for returning its contents to the hearth, substantially as set forth.

7. In an open-hearth steel-melting furnace, a hearth adapted to be depressed and displaced laterally with respect to the walls and I top of the furnace, substantially as set forth.

8. In an open-hearth steel-melting furnace, the combination, with a hearth adapted to be depressed and displaced laterally with respect to the walls and top of the furnace, of

an inclined trackway located under and extending'beyond the casting side of thehearth, and means for operating the hearth on the said trackway, substantially as set forth.

9. The combination, with an open-hearth steel-melting furnace having a removable hearth, of an inclined trackway located under and extending beyond the casting side of the hearth, and means to lower the hearth upon and to elevate it above the trackway, and to operate it thereon, substantially as set forth.

' 19. In an'open-hearth steel-meltingfurnace, the combination, with a hearth adapted to be depressed and displaced laterally with respect to the walls and top of the furnace, of an inclined trackway located under and extending beyond the casting side of the hearth, and means to apply hydrostatic pressure to operate the hearth upon the trackway, substan-' tlally as set forth.

In testimony whereof I have signed this specification in the presence of two subscribing witnesses.

I CHARLES M. RYDER.

Vitnesses: V

G; F. DOWNING, v S. G. NOTTINGHAM. 

